Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-07-17

.,,.r and his wife, q stout woman u
- bne ON the other. IN n
ef nS said the woman, IN
~ VOICE. All the cQlored peoP,e dth.r
Trsnch and French Only, to eacn
and in the ceremony. ,.r and gaye
p THE doctor nodded, bent o'ei, . 1T nj
three sharp raps on the fioor WIZ ~ vou-
wood. This is the usuat openinsS three
Soo rites All the Others aPPo n.rles.
,;n,ss ON the floor with tner s;s.is
.nw one coming in to join the sn'u
a and afterwards raped three JIM
saIra moments silence all kneeiea -
Ai' ,ooetber in French the Apostles
- and still on their knees, they SA'
two prayers to the Virgin Nary. -.
The colored woman ut the sac
.,,.r began a chant in o low, mei1aio
-. II va,a weird and strange, ,psAI
Csi;nd. A tall negress, with . orlEnc
yood .patured face, entered the c,Ici 800
the air of chief performer. kne,,, Spfnrs
the aoor, laid an offering oil csnutSDsS.
,hs altar with a small bottle Of ssnoy
ssa,sd herself beside the singer, anu wv.
nm in A strong, sweet voice the eiLale
rbvtbm Of the song. Nearly all OF .hose
wIo camei in had laid some some little OF
,sr;no before the altar. The chant grew,
,ha %sincls line was enunciated in stronger
unIsa,iens and other voices joined in the
wild refrain.
Dapse Calinda, boudoum, b0ndoum;
nansa ralfnla bpudOum, DOuuouns
RoJ;ss swayed. the hands kept time III
sof n,t-pattipg. and the feet IN muueu ~,
gentua,iop. The yOudoO arose, removes
his Slippers, sliced q bottle oil oranay,
dashed some of the liquid on the loot on
.scb side of the brown bowl as o hoation,
tbrsw hack his head and took q long pun
at the bottle, and then began IN tne wv
spaoe a slow, measured dance, rnytnhiiAi
shuttle. with more movements OF INC
hands than the feet backward and ior-
ward. round and round, but acceleraung
his movement rs the time oil the souie
ouickened and the excitement rose III t"s
room. The singing became wilder ano
more impassioned, strange minor
strain, full of savage pathos ana iouslps'
that made it almost impossible ior Inc spso-
tator not to join in the swing OF It's innu-
ence. while the dancer wrought himself up
into the wild passion of 3 Cairene derviso;
Without a moment ceasing his rhythmicai
steps and his extravagant gesticu'a,loa, No
poured liquid into the hssin, and, dasn'ns
in brandy, ignited the iuip with q ms'Ga.
The LIQUID iamed up befor the altar. nc
seized then a bunch of candles, plungea
them into the bowl, held them up All
flaming with the burning brandy, and
keeping his step to the m%sddeniBg Calm
da. " distributed them lighted to the de'o-
tees. In the same way he snatched up
dishes of apples, grapes, bananas, oranges,
deluged them with burning brandy ana
tossed them about the room to the eager
and excited crowd. His hands were
atlame, his clothes seemed to lie on hre; NC
held the burning dishes close TO bis oreast,
apparently inhaling the flame, closing MS
ewes and swayiug his head backward and
forward in an ecstasy, the hips advancing
and r,ceding, the leet still shutting TO The
barbaric measure.
Every moment his own excitement ana
that of the audience increased. The noor
was covered with the debris of the sacrlhce
broken candy, crushed sugar Plums,
scattered pr" pes and all more or less IN
in flame. The wild dancer WA dancing In
fire. In the height of his frenzy he grasp
I'd a large plate filled with lump sugar.
That was set on fire. lie held the burning
mass to his breast; he swung 1t round, and
finally, with his hand extended under the
bottom of the plate (the plate only sd-
herring TO his hand by the rapidity OF his
circular motion, he spun around like o
dancing dervisb, his eyes shut, the perspi-
ration pouring i'll streams from
his face in "a frenzy. The flaming sugar
scattered about the floor, and the deyotees
scrambling for it. In intervals OF the
dance. though the singing went on, the
various offerings which had been coniured
were passed around-bits Of sugar aud
fruit and Orris powder. That which Tell
TO my share | gave the yOungg girl next me,
whose eyes were blazing with excitement,
though she had remained perfectly tran
quill, and joined neither by voice nor hands
nor feet IN the excitement. She put the
copjured sugar and fruit in her pocket and
seemed grateful 10 me for ~relinquishing II
to her.
Before this point had been reached the
chant had been changed for the wild can
gamOre rapid in movement than the chan
son aiTicaine:
Ehl ehl Bomba, hen, hen!
Canga baiiO L.
Canga nome de IL
Canga do XII Ia
Canga II.
At intervals during the performance,
when the charm had begun 10 work, the
believers came Onward into the open space,
and knelt for treatment" The singing,
the dance, the wild incarnation went on
uninterruptedly; but amid all his antics
the dancer had an eye ON business. The
first group that knelt were four stalwsrt
men, three of them white laboTers. All
Of them. | presume, had some disease
which they had faith the Incarnation
would drive away. Each held q lighted
candle in each hand. The doctor success
sively extinguished each candle by putting
it in his mouth, and performing a mum.